Page 38 of Heart of a Hero

She lowered to her heels, and their lips separated, but he rested his forehead against hers. Both breathing deeply, they remained still wrapped together. Finally, she leaned her head back and said, “I need to confess…”

His lips quirked upward. “That’s a strange thing to say to a detective.”

Laughter barked out, and she shook her head. “What I mean is that I want to tell you something. Maybe I’m going about this all wrong. Maybe I’m messing this up.”

He placed a finger over her lips. “Shhh. I don’t want you to ever worry about what you say to me. Just say what’s on your mind. I’ll take your worries and cares… I promise.”

At that moment, Karen felt the air leave her lungs as she stared at the man who had captured her thoughts and maybe her heart. Suddenly, she felt the need to let him know what was on her mind.

“A few years after I became a widow, I listened to a friend who said that it was time toget back out there. I wasn’t really ready but went on a date. I’d never had a one-night stand since college, and that only happened once because I learned early on that I equated sex with something more than just physical. Then I was married for almost thirteen years. But after a couple of years of widowhood, I thought maybe it was time to… well…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I had another one-night stand. He was a gentleman, but there were no sparks. In fact, I knew beforehand that there wouldn’t be a second date.” She winced at her words. “I’m blabbing at a most inopportune time. I just wanted you to know that you’re not a… a rebound. A widow’s rebound. I guess that’s not right. Oh God, I’m screwing this all up.” Heat rose from her chest upward until her face was flaming.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he assured. “You don’t have to explain your past, but if you do, then go for it. You’re not screwing anything up.”

“I just wanted you to know that what I feel right now is real. Not just… unreal…”

At that, they both chuckled. “I’m glad to know yourrealisn’tunreal,” he joked.

Their arms were still banded around each other, but her fingers clutched his shoulders in despondent desperation. “Please tell me that I haven’t totally ruined the moment.”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, babe. You haven’t. And I totally get what you’re saying. I’ve been widowed longer than you and admit to a couple of dates that were only physical. Like you said, maybe a rebound. But they weren’t real either, and weboth knew it. Since then, nothing… no one that I wanted to sleep with. Until you. And I’m here because what I feel is real, too.”

Hearing those words from him caused her heart to race. Lifting on her toes again, she kissed him. Angling her head, she took control, thrusting her tongue over his, allowing the velvet touch to shoot throughout her body before settling into her core. He gave her a moment, then lifted his hands to either side of her face, holding… no… cradling her face. She felt claimed while owning his movements.

His erection was evident, and damn, if that didn’t make her more desperate for his mouth. Before she knew what was happening, she felt the bed behind her thighs and realized he’d walked her backward during their kiss.

His hand went to the bottom of her shirt, then hesitated. It took a second for her to realize that her wrap shirt, while easy for her to put on and take off, might be complicated for a man. She shifted enough to get her hand between them to grasp the ties. With a pull, the material parted, and the two sides loosened.

His gaze dropped to her chest, which now showed the tops of her breasts over the satin of her bra. He smiled as his forefinger traced along her jaw, down her throat, and over the pillows of her breasts. She barely breathed as his finger skated along her skin. Her clothes felt too constricting, but she knew they needed to go slow. Take their time. Give each other plenty of space to make sure this was what they wanted to do.Oh hell!

She reached up and started to unbutton his shirt, jerking it out of his jeans. Managing to get to the bottom without popping any buttons in her haste, she shoved the material off his shoulders. His hand was doing the same with her shirt, and working at cross purposes, their movements came to a halt.

Their eyes met again, and she laughed. “Okay, I thought about going slow, but?—”

“But we know what we want, and what we want is each other, right?”

His gaze was penetrating, and she simply nodded.

“I see your actions, Karen, but I need to hear the words.”

Her lips curved. “I want you, Mark. I want whatever we’re going to do tonight, which I really hope includes naked bodies, sex, orgasms, and wishing we had all night. I’ll take any of the aforementioned items, but if it includes all of the above, I’ll be in heaven.”

His head dropped back as laughter ripped from his lungs, and then he dropped his chin and held her gaze. “Good God, babe. You know how to put it all out there, don’t you?”

“You wanted the words. I wanted to be sure that you had all the words.”

“I think I got the message, loud and clear.”

Their mirth ended as they stood perfectly still, their shirts half hanging off their bodies and their chests heaving. Their gazes never wavered but penetrated the depths of what was about to happen. At least, that was how it felt for Karen, and she would bet her life that Mark felt the same.

She pushed away and shook her shoulders, allowing the wrap shirt to fall to the floor. She didn’t think the washing instructions said it would wrinkle easily. As far as she was concerned, the shirt could stay on the floor all night. He mimicked her movements, and his dress shirt dropped behind him. Her lips twitched. Heprobably doesn’t care if his shirt wrinkles either.

His hands went to his belt, and her gaze dropped to where his prominent erection looked painful in the jeans that had fit so well they’d cupped his ass. As his zipper lowered, he let out a tiny hiss, and she watched in amazement as his cock, while still trapped in his boxers, peeked out from the waistband.

“That looks like it was painful,” she mumbled as her hands undid the button on her jeans. Keeping her eyes on the striptease that was taking place in front of her, she knew he wasn’t teasing. They shimmied their jeans downward—his after he toed off his shoes and rid himself of his socks. She kicked off her shoes and stepped out of her jeans. The pile on the floor was growing.

He bent to the nightstand and grabbed a condom, tossing it onto the bed. He inclined his head to the nightstand and said, “You’ll notice it’s a new box, just opened for you.”

She let out a long, slow breath. “Oh…”

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